Who We Are
by The Mad Mystic
Summary: A look at how different characters look at their lives. The conversations couldnt feasibly happen in Canon, but they dont need to. Right now only Gohan on Goku/Vegeta/Himself, possibly more characters later on. Rated M because what kind of person fears words?


A/N: So I read a lot more than I write, which I should be fixing soon, but Ive recently gotten into DBZ fanfictions, particularly ones based around the time Gohan goes to school, because they are the more amusing ones, and I came across a few disturbing realizations. See, this is something I really should have known from the get-go, but hindsight is 20/20. The main thing Im speaking of is how almost no one seems to understand Goku or Gohan, and their motivations or personalities. Admittedly, there is a lot of debate over both of them and what they really are as people, but the more in depth I look at them, the more obvious it becomes that its... not hidden. I mean, Goku's Character Development in Z is hidden, but nothing else. Gohan's distaste for fighting was consistent from the get go, and Goku's love for his family was equally obvious. That said, Ive been reading a lot of forums and youtube comments lately, and people seem to think Goku is a bad father, and that Gohan should have stayed powerful, but... The opposite is true on both parts, for a very long list of reasons. Im creating this One-shot (Possibly a series given how often DBZ characters tend to be misunderstood due to various portrayals, including TFS' portrayal of Goku as a bad father) to display what they really are, and how they think. Ill explain everything at the end of this, but safe to say I might piss off a lot of people by doing this, and I genuinely no longer care. If they disagree, thats fine. If they rant and rave about how I dont understand these characters and how Im wrong on everything, they can piss off. Ive found the DBZ community to be both the most conflicted and most idiotic fanbase there is, and thats... saying a lot. Not to say DBZ fans are idiots, but the community itself tends to argue over the most innane bullshit and prattle on about how certain things were wrong, or not canon because of whatever reason. 

Ive one thing to say before I begin. Canon is what you make of it. Get over yourselves, and accept that there are so many potential variations of DBZ its not even funny. Filler and Movies conflict with the original series, but guess what? So does the original series.

* * *

"Can you talk more about your dad?" Videl asked calmly, hesitant to bring up the subject of Gohan's father, who she knew had been dead for seven years.

"Of course, what do you want to know?" Gohan smiled at her, glad to be relaxing after the long day of training Videl to fly.

"Are you sure? I mean I dont want to bring up bad memories of him, and I know how bad it is to talk about a dead parent." Indeed, Videl's mother had died a bit before the Cell Games, explaining why Hercule Satan was so willing to fight Cell. He lost his wife, was close to losing his daughter, and had little left for him.

"Videl... He died seven years ago, and we already know there is an afterlife, where he is enjoying himself. Im not exactly going to burst into tears over mentioning him..." Gohan was a little weirded out that Videl even thought that of him. Sure, he was a nerd who enjoyed studying, but he was nowhere near a crybaby, like he had been before Piccolo threw him at a mountain and left him to die in the wilderness for six months.

"Right, but arent you angry at him? I mean, for abandoning you for so long, for making you fight, for anything?"

"Not really. I mean, he had good reasons every time he left, even if I wished otherwise. The first time, he had to train with King Kai to save the world, then he had to learn to control himself as a Super Saiyan so he wouldnt go crazy like Vegeta did with it, then he stayed dead because every threat in my lifetime came to this planet because of him." Gohan explained, a bit confused as to where Videl was going with all this.

"Surely not all threats came to earth because of him..."

"Raditz came because of him, Vegeta and Nappa came because of the dragonballs, which they only found out about because of him dying against Raditz, Freiza came for revenge on him, the Androids were built because of him, Cell was created because of him. Honestly, without him none of those wouldve happened like they did. Granted, the Earth would be destroyed, but he wasnt wrong in believing himself to be the cause of all of their arrivals. He attracts threats."

"Okay, but what about making you fight Cell, or giving him a Senzu Bean right before that?"

"You have to understand his mind for that. See, Dad always believed I liked to fight like he did, and he... he wasnt wrong, after Namek at least, but he was wrong in how much and why. Dad liked to fight regardless of circumstances and danger, but with me it was always fun when it was with a friend, or for sport in general, thats why I enjoyed training with him, it felt kinda like playing a game rather than fighting. Going against people who wanted to kill me, that was when I broke down in fear. Except against Cell, that was more hesitance to kill than anything. Well, that and confusion. I had hoped I could reach him through words or understanding... But for him making me fight Cell, I was kind of a last resort. He knew he was stronger than everyone else except for me, and if he couldnt kill Cell, he would have to rely on me, no matter how much he hated it. The Senzu bean was part of that, he knew Cell would be angry over him quitting, but by giving him a Senzu bean he made him curious. Dad was never book smart, but he knew people and their motivations pretty well."

"I dont know, doesnt that conflict with how he didnt realize you didnt like fighting in the same way that he did?"

"Not really, no. We spent all our time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber training, and he saw how I enjoyed it, so its not a surprise he made the wrong connection. He had never really seen me in a situation where I was pressed like I was against Cell. He only knew what he saw, and I certainly dont fault him for that. I always avoided studying to spend time with him, and we usually trained when that happened, so is it a surprise he thought I was just like him? Him going against his nature on asking for help against enemies when it came to getting me to fight Cell, that was surprising, but it was a desperate situation. Just like when we fought Vegeta, I was the only chance the Earth had. He had no choice, and he knew it."

"Still, it sounds like he didnt care for you as much as he did for fighting."

"That... sounds ridiculous. He went from roaming the world constantly fighting, living his dream at the time, to settling down with a wife to raise me for four years, so much that he didnt even speak to his friends. He died twice, specifically for me. He has always shown me love and affection, I had to force him to stop going easy on me when we trained because he cared that much about my safety. That would be like saying he and Mom didnt love each other, and I can promise you, they do. Im actually pretty sure they would kill for each other, and my Mom isnt much different from Dad when it comes to killing, albeit for different reasons." Gohan sat up, a concerned scowl on his face, turning to Videl.

"What about Piccolo, wouldnt he be more a father to you?"

"Okay now that one is just ridiculous. Piccolo is four years older than me, and was even more socially inept than me. My first interaction with him was him kidnapping me and throwing me at a mountain, then leaving me alone for six months. Dont get me wrong, he sacrificed his life for me too, and he definitely became a better person, not to mention my first mentor, but he was never a father figure to me. A friend, certainly. A teacher, absolutely. A father? No, not really." Gohan chuckled. "For that matter, what do you consider a father? Its not just someone who teaches you, or helps you out. Its someone who helps you grow into a person, and into an adult. Dad did that enough for me to be mature as an adult at the age of Eleven, right after Cell. He helped me confront my doubts, and grow beyond even him! He didnt force me to train, he was hesitant to train me to the ground like he does himself. If anything, he spoiled me, given how our lives went until he died the second time. No, Id say Dad was always a good father, if a bit overprotective. That anyone could really look down on him is kind of baffling. Even Vegeta respects him, although he doesnt admit it."

"But Vegeta respecting him has nothing to do with him being a good father." Videl pointed out. "For that matter, he did kind of put a lot of pressure on your shoulders when he told you that you were now responsible for the Earth."

"True, but its meant to show how good he is just as a person, let alone a father. Yeah, he can be selfish, but thats not a bad thing. He made mistakes, but he was always there when it counted and always helped us all out. There is a reason we almost lost all hope when he died, and why the alternate future turned out so bad when he did die. Actually, now that you mention it, I should probably point out he likely did not intend for me to become like him when he told me to protect the Earth. I wouldnt put it past him to have said that as a sign that he was truly gone for good, or to spur Vegeta into training harder and doing even more to protect Earth. He did use Vegeta's pride against him pretty often, just like he did with Freiza and Cell. Dad was ignorant, but he knew how to motivate and manipulate people."

"What about Vegeta as a father?"

"Well, thats harder to answer, I havent seen much of how he acts with Trunks, but his actions with Future Trunks were understandable, if extreme. Imagine having that rage and pride boost from being Super Saiyan without training it and then learning your son from the future is a soft spoken, pink haired boy who has no idea what to expect from you, all the while with him reminding you more of the person you either hate or want to overcome the most. Future Trunks was a lot more like Dad than Vegeta, honestly, up until they spent time together. Even then, it was barely noticeable. Soft spoken, polite, kind, naturally helpful. All things Vegeta just couldnt understand. Its no wonder he couldnt see him as his son."

"Fair enough, I wonder what he is like with his wife, though."

"Vegeta spent most of his life being controlled by a maniac and his minions, forced to adapt or be killed, as well as to destroy entire planets and be completely ruthless. I cant imagine him knowing how to show affection well at all, or doing it even if he did know how. Still, he wouldnt stay around Bulma, or Earth for that matter, unless he cared for her on some level. Any other questions before you have to go?"

"Two, actually. Why did you stop training, and why did you make such a ridiculous alter-ego as Saiyaman?"

"Oh thats simple. I stopped enjoying training when Dad wasnt around, and there were no threats to train for. My other options were Vegeta and Piccolo, and training with them isnt really as fun... besides it was always my dream to be a scholar. As for Saiyaman, well... because I dont have to take anything seriously. I mean, if Cell came back, yeah Id be utterly serious, but against normal humans with guns? I get to live out a fantasy being a superhero, that everyone dreams of. Of course Im going to be corny and ridiculous as Saiyaman, because thats how superheroes are, except for the serious ones, and being serious as a superhero ruins the fun of it. Its fun, and no lives are really at stake given I can take planet destroying blasts without flinching, and move faster than should be physically possible. I could do the Saiyaman thing in any way I wanted, but I enjoy playing the Superhero. It may seem corny, but it gives people hope either way. A dark hero never inspires hope, they inspire fear, and I think this world has had enough fear." Gohan paused. "Plus literally all of my role models were also ridiculously hammy. Look at Dad, always screaming and showing up at the perfect time to pull a hero moment. Then look at my enemies, you had Cell, who was just terrifying and creepy, Freiza, who was calm, polite, and an utter monster that personified fear, Vegeta who... really no one should emulate, Nappa, who was also a monster who killed for the thrill of it, then you have the Ginyu Force, who were... awesome. Enemies or not, those guys really had style, and not just with the poses. I had to emulate something, and I didnt want to be like Freiza, Cell, Vegeta, or Nappa, so the Ginyu Force was the best option. Plus Dad was equally corny, just in a different way."

"True enough, you mentioned how cheeky he was, and how terrifying it was when he got serious."

"Thats exactly it! See, you see someone like Vegeta get angry, and thats nothing special, but when someone who is goofy and relaxed gets angry, you get terrified, and thats the idea. If I was a serious person, then it would be less intimidating when I got angry. Thatd just be a normal reaction. With Saiyaman getting angry, though... well, no one wants to see it happen. Batman getting angry is less intense than Superman getting angry."

"Actually one more question before I go, Who do you think would win, Superman, or your dad?"

"The author. But in general, Dad is a great deal stronger than most versions of Superman, and given he has been training so long, he might be even stronger than that now. Either way, if they ever did fight, there will always be one true winner."

"Who?"

"Trolls of course."

* * *

A/N: Is this meant to be a serious portion of a possible story? No. Is Gohan/Videl OOC? Yes. Does this conversation make any sense given the time frame, or characters? No. Did I unashamedly put out my opinion on Superman vs Goku? Yes!

But seriously, this isnt meant to be taken seriously as a story, but an explanation from an in-story perspective on Goku/Vegeta/Saiyaman. People often forget characters have a limited perspective, while the viewer does not. Gohan does not know about what Goku thinks all the time, but he does have the emotional connection to his father, and understands him well enough that, no, he could never hate him... Unless he came back from the dead, killed everyone but Gohan, and left him a note with only a drawing of a butt.

I understand the Goku hate, but there are serious misunderstandings about both characters that people need to realize before they go on tangents about how Goku is terrible, or Gohan is perfect, or even that Gohan should be depressed.

For that last one, let me see about this. Gohan's decision led to Cell's self destruction, leading to Goku sacrificing himself willingly. Okay, that would be a pretty damn depressing event. Goku comforted him immediately after. Okay, thats a lot less depressing. Afterlife confirmed, Goku enjoying afterlife confirmed. Okay, thats only mildly depressing now. SEVEN FUCKING YEARS PASSING. Pretty sure he would get over it. Shit, I was about that close with my dad before he died, and it took me six months before I was okay about it, and thats without him comforting me, an afterlife being confirmed, or him enjoying the afterlife being confirmed.

So my question to you Gohan fans is this... if you love Gohan so much, why do you misrepresent his character, bash on the one who MADE HIM WHO HE IS, and make him a ridiculous crybaby? Im genuinely confused on that. Im a fan of Goku more than Gohan, (and Vegito(Not Vegeta) even more than Goku), but Im still a fan of Gohan, and his character development has made the most sense during DBZ out of anyone's. Every time he fought, someone died, be it enemy or ally. No wonder he turned away from fighting, and went back to his dream of being a scholar, which he mentioned as old as four! Literally the first episode of DBZ, too. Hard to misunderstand that.


End file.
